Lian Li is transforming RGB lighting with this neat trick
Lian Li showcased one of the most interesting pieces of tech this year at Computex — wireless RGB. Yup, you heard it right. The company has come up with a solution that aims to eliminate the need for multiple control hubs and helps cut down on all the wiring mess.
The new wireless RGB ecosystem includes a special dongle that can plug into your PC’s standard USB port or connect directly to an internal USB header on the motherboard. This acts as a wireless transmitter to control the RGB on various devices and it supports up to eight devices.
The second part is a PC fan. Most of Lian Li’s fans offer the ability to interconnect with each other (up to four) while a connector just slides onto one of the fans and has standard cables to control fan speeds and RGB lighting. With the company’s upcoming Uni Fan SL V3, this connector will now include a built-in wireless receiver and a single 12V cable. The cable seemingly has a pulse width modulation (PWM) fan connector, but Lian Li says that it is only required to provide power to the fans. Essentially, the system isn’t completely wireless, but you no longer have to deal with any RGB cables.
The company is also extending the wireless RGB ecosystem to its Strimer cables, with the new Strimer Plus V3 drawing power from the motherboard itself. It includes a similar wireless receiver as the Uni Fan SL V3.
Users will be able to control the lighting seamlessly using the company’s new L-Connect 3.0 software and can choose between different effects or even create their own manually.
The concept is intriguing, but I was disappointed when the company informed me that the wireless solution would not be supported by any of the existing Lian Li RGB products. “Only upcoming products, including the Uni Fan SL V3 and Strimer Plus V3 are supported, and we have plans to launch more in the coming future,” said a company representative.
Expect Lian Li’s new wireless ecosystem to launch to launch by the third quarter of this year. The three-pack Uni Fan SL V3, with a receiver and controller, will be sold for $90. Pricing for the new Strimer has not been confirmed and the company will launch it early next year.